The Effects of COVID-19 Pandemic on HIV Service Provision in Ukraine.

Ukraine faced significant fluctuations in COVID-19 morbidity and mortality, alongside an escalating HIV epidemic. This mixed-methods study, conducted between February and August 2022, employed a sequential explanatory design combining a quantitative analysis of national data and qualitative interviews to investigate the pandemic's effects on HIV services in Ukraine. The observed trends confirmed that the pandemic significantly disrupted facility-based HIV testing due to logistical challenges, an increased burden on healthcare workers, and supply shortages.

Treating COVID-19 With Hydroxychloroquine (TEACH): A Multicenter, Double-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial in Hospitalized Patients.

Background: Effective therapies to combat coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) are urgently needed. Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) has in vitro antiviral activity against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), but the clinical benefit of HCQ in treating COVID-19 is unclear. Randomized controlled trials are needed to determine the safety and efficacy of HCQ for the treatment of hospitalized patients with COVID-19.

Generational differences in current sexual behavior among Georgian reproductive-aged women.

Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, there was a pronounced change in the availability of modern contraceptive methods and an accompanying shift in the knowledge and attitudes of Georgian women related to sexual behaviors. This study describes differences in sexual behaviors, condom use and family planning practices among several generations of reproductive-aged Georgian women. Study participants were recruited from three large cities in Georgia.

Evaluation of multiple measures of antiretroviral adherence in the Eastern European country of Georgia.

Introduction: There is little information on adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) in the Eastern European region. This prospective study evaluated multiple measures of adherence and their association with viral suppression among HIV patients in Georgia.

Methods: A prospective cohort study enrolled 100 consecutive antiretroviral-naïve adult (age ≥ 18 years) patients, who were followed for three months.

Mortality and causes of death among HIV-infected individuals in the country of Georgia: 1989-2012.

Since 2004, the country of Georgia has provided antiretroviral therapy (ART) to all patients in need. A nationwide retrospective cohort study was conducted to assess the effect of universal access to ART on patterns of mortality and causes of death among HIV-infected individuals in Georgia. All known HIV-infected adult individuals (age ≥18 years) diagnosed from 1989 through 2012 were included.

Refining HIV risk: the modifying effects of youth, gender and education among people who inject drugs in Poland.

Objective: The goal of this study was to examine specific factors placing young (aged <30) women who inject drugs at higher risk for HIV, and to establish the need for targeted interventions within this population.

Methods: A national cross-sectional sero-survey was conducted in 2004-2005 in six regions in Poland. A snowball sample of ever-injectors was recruited from drug treatment facilities and the surrounding community.

Developing an adherence support intervention for patients on antiretroviral therapy in the context of the recent IDU-driven HIV/AIDS epidemic in Estonia.

There is limited data on and experience with interventions for antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence support for patients on ART in Eastern Europe. We sought to identify a feasible adherence support intervention for delivery amongst HIV-positive adults receiving care in Estonia, where the HIV/AIDS epidemic has been mainly concentrated among injection drug users (IDUs). Our application of intervention mapping (IM) strategies used existing literature, formative research and multidisciplinary team input to produce a brief clinic-based intervention entitled the Situated Optimal Adherence Intervention Estonia (sOAI Estonia) which uses both Next-Step Counseling (NSC) and Information-Motivation-Behavioral Skills (IMB) Model approach to facilitate integration of ART into the context and demands of daily life.

Antiretroviral-treated HIV-infected women have similar long-term kidney function trajectories as HIV-uninfected women.

Natural history studies suggest increased risk for kidney function decline with HIV infection, but few studies have made comparisons with HIV-uninfected women. We examined whether HIV infection treated with highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) remains associated with faster kidney function decline in the Women's Interagency HIV Study. HIV-infected women initiating HAART with (n=105) or without (n=373) tenofovir (TDF) were matched to HIV-uninfected women on calendar and length of follow-up, age, systolic blood pressure, hepatitis C antibody serostatus, and diabetes history.

A single-nucleotide polymorphism in CYP2B6 leads to >3-fold increases in efavirenz concentrations in plasma and hair among HIV-infected women.

Background: Efavirenz exhibits marked interindividual variability in plasma levels and toxicities. Prior pharmacogenetic studies usually measure exposure via single plasma levels, examine limited numbers of polymorphisms, and rarely model multiple contributors. We analyzed numerous genetic and nongenetic factors impacting short-term and long-term exposure in a large heterogeneous population of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected women.

Characterization of HIV-1 subtypes and drug resistance mutations among individuals infected with HIV in Georgia.

In order to describe HIV-1 subtypes and drug resistance mutations in Georgia, blood samples from 153 patients infected with HIV-1 collected from 2006 to 2008 were genotyped. Of these, 126 samples were from newly diagnosed, antiretroviral (ARV)-naïve patients and 27 from ARV-treated patients. Partial pol region sequences were used to identify drug resistance mutations and to conduct phylogenetic analysis for subtype determination.

The impact of the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) on use of highly active antiretroviral and antihypertensive therapy among HIV-infected women.

Objectives: To evaluate the association between enrollment into an AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) and use of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) and antihypertensive therapy.

Methods: Cross-sectional analyses of data were performed on HAART-eligible women enrolled in the California (n = 439), Illinois (n = 168), and New York (n = 487) Women's Interagency HIV Study sites. A subset of HIV-infected women with hypertension (n = 395) was also analyzed.

The impact of kidney function at highly active antiretroviral therapy initiation on mortality in HIV-infected women.

Background: In the early highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) era, kidney dysfunction was strongly associated with death among HIV-infected individuals. We re-examined this association in the later HAART period to determine whether chronic kidney disease remains a predictor of death after HAART initiation.

Methods: To evaluate the effect of kidney function at the time of HAART initiation on time to all-cause mortality, we evaluated 1415 HIV-infected women initiating HAART in the Women's Interagency HIV Study.

Racial variations in care and outcomes for inpatient HIV-related pneumocystis pneumonia.

Racial disparities in HIV-care include the disproportionate impact of HIV/AIDS on African Americans. We conducted a retrospective review of 1,855 cases at 78 hospitals in nine cities to evaluate racial variations in inpatient care for AIDS-related Pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP) shortly after the introduction of highly active anti-retroviral therapies. While inpatient HIV-related PCP mortality was comparable between Whites and Hispanics (p=0.

Interarm blood pressure differences in the women's interagency HIV study.

Hypertension has been reported in 8-32% of HIV-infected individuals. Large interarm blood pressure differences (IABPD) may cause misclassification of blood pressure (BP) status. The objectives of this study were to determine the magnitude and factors associated with IABPD in HIV-infected women and uninfected controls.

Consistency of initial antiretroviral therapy with HIV treatment guidelines in a US cohort of HIV-infected women.

Background: HIV treatment guidelines define optimal initial antiretroviral therapy (ART).

Objective: To characterize initial ART used by a cohort of HIV-infected women according to US HIV treatment guidelines and determine whether regimen characteristics predict short-term outcomes.

Methods: Initial ART self-reported by Women's Interagency HIV Study (WIHS) participants.

Tuberculosis prevention for non-US-born pregnant women.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether non-US-born pregnant women receiving prenatal care are targeted for treatment of latent tuberculosis (TB) infection (LTBI) with isoniazid (INH) to prevent active TB.

Study Design: This was a retrospective chart review study of 730 non-US-born pregnant women receiving care at 5 New York City prenatal clinics from 1999 to 2000.

Results: Among 678 women with known tuberculin skin test (TST) status, 341 (50.

Effect of discontinuing antiretroviral therapy on survival of women initiated on highly active antiretroviral therapy.

Objective: To estimate the effect of discontinuing antiretroviral therapy (ART) on survival, among women who initiated highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART).

Design: A multicenter cohort study.

Methods: A total of 951 HAART-initiated women were followed for total mortality between 1995 and 2002.

HIV-related pneumonia care in older patients hospitalized in the early HAART era.

Age-related variations in care have been identified for HIV-associated Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) in both the 1980s and 1990s. We evaluated if age-related variations affected all aspects of HIV-specific and non-HIV-specific care for HIV-infected individuals with PCP or community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), or whether age-related variations were primarily limited to HIV-specific aspects of care. Subjects were HIV-infected persons with PCP (n = 1855) or CAP (n = 1415) hospitalized in 8 cities from 1995 to 1997.